The Best LEGO Sets of 2016: Star Wars, Batman '66, The Beatles, and More

If there's one thing that's bound to go down well as a Christmas present, it's Lego. Everybody loves Lego, regardless of their age. It's fun to build, it looks good, and pricey as some sets might be you get a damn good product. With the end of the year coming up, we're going to take a look at some of the best sets that hot shop shelves in 2016.

Assault on Hoth, £220

It doesn't snow much in most parts of the UK, which is a shame because that would make the perfect environment to play with this massive Star Wars Lego set. It's doesn't have any AT-ATs, but it does come with various rebel minifigures, a wampa, a snowspeeder, snowtroopers, a tauntaun, plus various weapons and backdrops from the Hoth rebel base. It's no Death Star, but it's a must have for fans. [Buy it here]

Yellow Submarine, £50

Thanks to Lego Ideas, the Beatles can finally be immortalised in the only medium that really counts: Lego. The set features a miniaturised replica of the famous Yellow Submarine featured in the 1968 film of the same name, plus minifigure versions of Ringo, John, Paul, George, and whatever the hell Jeremy is supposed to be (a chimp on acid? I really don't know). Unfortunately the minifigs don't go inside the submarine, but they can be proudly displayed in front of it. [Buy it here]

Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters, £275

2016 saw the released of Lego based on the new Ghostbusters, but the classic isn't missing out on any love. If you have a lot of money to burn, you can get a brickified recreation of their famous firehouse HQ. Purchased with the help of a second mortgage on Ray's childhood home. The whole thing opens up to reveal three floors to play with, and has room to park the Ecto-1 set (sold separately and retiring soon). Included in the box are minifigures of all four Ghostbusters (including a slimed Venkman), Slimer, possessed Dana, Rick Moranis, Janine, the library ghost, some random spooks, and the skeletal cab driver. [Buy it here]

Death Star (2016), £400

The old Death Star set was getting on a bit, and with the infamous small moon space station playing a vital role in this year's Rogue One it was obvious that lego would release an updated version. It's not too dissimilar from the last Death Star, coming with a lot of the same stuff (though it is much, much more expensive). The difference here is that all the design, minifgures especially, have been given an update. All in all that means an extra 200-ish pieces, and a slightly nicer looking set. If you missed the last one, this might be worth buying. [Buy it here]

Big Ben, £170

Westminster: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Except, just maybe, Washington DC. But, in any case, the Houses of Parliament have a pretty iconic design, and for the budding Lego enthusiast that's enough to go out and purchase its Lego-facsimile. And before you get pedantic, the bell itself is included in the set. All you need to do is take off the tower roof and look inside. This is also a fairly clever set, since all the clocks will always display the same time as each other. Unless you put one of them on backwards or something. [Buy it here]

The Disney Castle, £290

A staple at Disneyland resorts all over the world is the castle, and you can add it to your living room. It's not got a full 360-degree exterior, but taking a look at the back shows off a host of fancy castley rooms for minifigures to enjoy. There's a grand hall, a bedroom, a room with a spindle, and more. It's a bit sparse on the minifigures, coming with tuxedo Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Tinkerbell, but it's still one hell of a lovely set. [Buy it here]

Batman '66 Batcave, £230

The classic Batman TV series may not have lasted quite as long as some would like, but it does have a place in the hearts of many. With the ongoing comic series, and the cult status of Adam West's crew, it makes sense that the TV Batcave would be immortalised in Lego form.It has the Batmobile, the Batcopter, the Batcycle, the firepole-esque entrance, and all sorts of bits and pieces. On the Minifigure side of things, it has Batman, Bruce Wayne, Robin, Dick Grayson, Alfred, Catwoman, The Joker, the Riddler, and The Penguin. [Buy it here]

Minecraft: The Village, £170

Lego Minecraft has been a big hit, with lots of little sets hitting shop shelves over the past few years. So it makes sense that a bigger one would arrive sooner or later, and means you can buy a bit Lego set of a game that's basically a virtual version of Lego. If you're a Minecraft fan there's no doubt you'll recognise everything that's included, and that makes it a must have. [Buy it here]

Brick Bank, £120

There are many great sets in the Lego Creator line, a lot of which take the form of a building you'd find in any half-decent town or city. The latest addition to that is the Bank, which finally lets your minifigures deposit their wages somewhere safe. And by safe, I mean a little plastic box with no lock. The Bank is a beautiful-looking modular set, and has one trait that should appeal to the Lego classicists out there: the minifigures are classic Lego yellow and have the famous vacant smile. There are five of those minifigures, and a camera shop that's been tacked onto the backside of the bank. [Buy it here]

Marvel Superhero Airport Battle, £70

The best part of Captain America Civil War, by far, was the airport fight scene. So it makes sense that it would be the most desirable of this year's Marvel-themed Lego sets. It comes with a few airport props, like an ATC tower and a baggage truck, but those are the least important things thrown in. It has a Quinjet, War Machine, Sharon Carter, Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Winter Soldier, and Black Widow. The stand-out stars are the Ant-Man microfigure that you're bound to lose, and the complicated-looking Giant Man. [Buy it here]